Our Top 8 Newsletter Tips

By Susan Varty, Founder and CEO

Reaching people by email is not going away. So here are our top eight newsletter tips you can incorporate in your campaigns. As always, it’s about reaching people on a human level in this busy world.

1. Put mobile first. People are more likely to use their phones to read what you have to say, so be sure your content is optimized for mobile.
2. Add a human touch. Be sure email messages come from people in your company, not your company. This will help subscribers to recognize who is sending them great content on a monthly or weekly basis to build a relationship or at a minimum, rapport and familiarity with the sender.
3. Make it exclusive. Content for subscribers only gives people a reason to stay subscribed. Treat them like VIPs. Otherwise, why bother subscribing at all? That said, use quality content as teasers in your blogs and social media to draw subscribers in. Show them what they’re missing.
4. Show more faces. People want to see faces, so personalize your content and be sure image sizes are optimized for mobile. Hire a photographer for events or other campaigns so you can use high-quality images. Caption the images so people know who they are looking at.
5. Use links at the top and bottom. Create links at the top and bottom of pages for easy forwarding and sharing to other channels. This means creating a subscribe link or button (as well as the unsubscribe link). Encourage your recipients to share the email you send them and ask them to subscribe.
6. Use one CTA. Have one main call to action with a link. Too many links and decisions will result in no click-throughs. So, “show don’t tell.” Let good content be your primary call to action.
7. Don’t worry about unsubscribers. Embrace them – because unsubscribers tell you two important things: 1) either that person is not part of your target audience and so not a tragic loss or 2) your content is not appealing and you need to rethink it. In all likelihood, the ones who leave are not part of your target/ideal audience.
8. Be a subscriber. Subscribe to other newsletters yourself, to get a sense of what makes an impact on you. This is free intel and valuable access to novelty and innovation. So, get out there and click “subscribe.”

Above all, aim to make a personal connection with your target audience and to make their lives a little happier. Many of us are looking for a break from the world, so try to be the break that people want. It may take time to build your audience – and build enough trust – so they reach out to you when the timing is right.

P.S. You can also subscribe to our newsletter; we have tips and interviews with marketing leaders monthly.

photo credit: Thomas Hawk Printing Press via photopin (license)